Soldier posed as Syrian refugee, 'planned attack'

A German soldier who pretended to be a Syrian refugee and was allegedly planning a gun attack has been arrested in southern Germany.

Prosecutors in Frankfurt said the 28-year-old suspect was motivated by a “xenophobic background”.

A student, 22, said to be a co-conspirator, has also been arrested. The soldier was first detained by Austrian police in February after he tried to retrieve a handgun he had hidden in a toilet at Vienna airport.

He was released but police subsequently discovered the suspect had registered as a Syrian refugee at a shelter in central Germany in December 2015 and later officially requested political asylum in Bavaria, prosecutors said.

No concerns were raised at the time, despite the man speaking no Arabic. German media report that he even received monthly payments and accommodation.